Sweet Cheese Buns

4.77 from 13 votes

Sweet Cheese Buns

These beautiful Sweet Cheese Buns are loaded with golden raisins and a creamy ricotta cheese filling, encompassed by an irresistibly delicious bun.

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Rising time1 10

Total Time2 15

Course: Bread, Pastries

Cuisine: Romanian

Keyword: sweet cheese buns

Servings: pastries

Calories: 288kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

6 cups all-purpose flour
2 ounce fresh yeast or 1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup water lukewarm
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar granulated, divided
4 large eggs at room temperature, divided
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups ricotta cheese
¾ cup golden raisins

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dissolve Yeast: In a big bowl, add the flour and form a well in the middle. Crumble up the fresh yeast and add it in the well. Pour the water over the yeast and stir it up until the yeast dissolves. If using active yeast, activate in a bowl with the lukewarm water and a tsp of the sugar.x
Mix Dough: Add the oil, ½ cup of the sugar, 2 eggs and half the lemon zest to the well. Using your hands mix everything together and continue kneading the dough for about 10 minutes. Alternatively you can do this in your stand mixer and mix on medium low until the dough is smooth and comes clean from the sides of the bowl.
Let Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it up with a clean towel, or plastic wrap and let it double in size, in a warm place.
Make Cheese Mixture: While the dough is rising, we can make the cheese mixture. In a medium bowl, add the ricotta cheese, raisins, remaining ½ cup of sugar, 1 egg, remaining lemon zest and mix it all together. Place the cheese mixture in the fridge while the dough is rising.
Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll and Cut Dough: After the dough has doubled in size, roll it out in a long rectangular so that it's about ¼ inch in thickness. Using a pastry cutter cut it into squares that are 3" x 3". Repeat with remaining dough.
Roll it Out: Take each square and roll it up until it's 6" x 6", it will be quite thin, but don't worry as it will rise quite a bit more.
Assemble: Place 2 tsp of the cheese mixture in the center of each square. Fold over each corner of the square over to the middle and pinch in the middle to make the dough stick. Now fold each newly formed corner over to the middle again and pinch it in the middle. Make sure you pinch it well, otherwise the dough will open up. Repeat with remaining dough and cheese mixture.
Egg Wash: Beat the remaining egg and brush the cheese buns with it. Let them sit out for another 10 minutes so they rise a bit more.
Bake: Bake in the oven for about 30 or 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Finish and Serve: Cool on wire racks and sprinkle with powdered sugar if preferred.

Notes

Before starting, ensure that your yeast is active!
Make sure to brush the dough with egg wash before baking. This adds shine and will enhance the golden color of the buns.
If you'd like, you can add your preference of mix-ins to the filling before baking. You can also top it with slivered almonds or a dusting of powdered sugar!
These sweet cheese buns will stay fresh for up to 3 days, covered and stored at room temperature, but will keep for an additional week in the refrigerator, covered with foil, plastic wrap or in a plastic bag or airtight container.
Wrap these sweet cheese buns tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place in heavy-duty freezer bag/airtight container. This will allow them to stay fresh for up to 1 month.
Let defrost at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours when ready to serve or simply pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Nutrition